Automatic light-switch



w. T. WALKER.

AUTOMATIC LIGHT SWITCH. APPLICATIONTILED APR-29, r920.

1,369,860, Pat ented Mar. 1,1921

ATTORNEY a citizen of the United States,

WILLIAM '1. WALKER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC LIGHT-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

Application filed April 29, 1920. Serial No. 377,615.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. WALKER, residing in the city of St. Louis and State have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Light-Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention may be called an automatic light switch for automobiles, designed especially for use upon automobiles, for the purpose of automatically lighting the tail light and dimmers at any predetermined hour, although it is likely the apparatus might be adapted for other similar purposes.

The prime object of this invention is to produce a simple, efficient and durable apparatus of the nature described which may be located upon the dash of an automobile in a convenient position, and which has electrical connection with the taillight and dimmers, with means for automatically closing the electric current to the said lights.

Another object is to provide a device of this kind wherein an ordinary alarm clock mechanism may .be utilized in combination with the electric conductors leading to the tail light and dimmers of the automobile, with a bracket or arm mounted upon the winding stem of the alarm mechanism, adapted automatically to close the circuit through said conductors when the alarm mechanism operates at any predetermined or set time.

A further object is to provide such an attachment with means for easily opening the current passing through said electrical conductors, when it is desired to extinguish the lights and re-set the apparatus.

In the drawings as illustrating the preferred construction of my invention:

Figure 1 is a rear elevation showing the attachments mounted at the back of an ordinary clock of the alarm type.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the clock and attachments, withdrawn from the case.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, showing the apparatus mounted through the dash, the dash being shown in sectional lines and the attachments indicated by dotted lines.

Fig. 5 is a detail of part of the interior alarm mechanism of a clock, showing the ordinary safety or stop elements, for preventing, when desired, the alarm mechanism from operating.

of Missouri,

Fig. 6 is a top detail showing the mounting of the resetting lever relative to the attachments at the back of the clock.

In carrying out the invention as illustrated in the drawings, any ordinary alarm clock mechanism or time be used and mounted through the dash 2 of the automobile with the face 3 of the clock exposed in convenient position. This clock may take ,the place of the ordinary automobile clock as now used and thus serve two purposes. The clock is preferably slidingly lnserted in a case 4 which may be permanently mounted through the dash 2, the rear of the case being closed and provided with an aperture 5 for the insertion of the electrical conductors 6. Slots 7 cut switch as 1 may through the frontal edges of the case 4 are adapted to engage spring latches 8 mounted in the clock 1 for holding the clock in the case or permitting its withdrawal when it 15 desired to change the time of operation of the switch.

Upon the winding stem 9 of the alarm mechanism 10 of the clock I rigidly mount a bracket or arm 11, and at the outer or free ends of the arm the insulated terminal 12. I also permanently mount a similar complementary insulated terminal 13 upon the back of the clock in such position that the turnin motion of the stem 9, when the alarm mechanism 10 operates, will result in moving the terminal 12 into contact with the terminal 13. The ends of the conductors 6 are attached to the terminals 12 and 13.

A lever 14 is pivoted at 15 through the top of the clock 1. The inner end extends back and ends in a lug 16 adapted to impinge upon the free end of the arm 11, for for the purpose of forcing the arm and terminal 12 back and out of contact with the terminal 13, thus opening the circuit and resetting the apparatus. The outer end projects forwardly through a slot 17 in the front of the clock 1, and thusafi'ords a handy finger piece 19 for resetting the apparatus from the front. The'slot 17 is formed with a perpendicular extension 18 at-the left hand end, adapted to receive the finger piece 19 and thus lock the lever 14 over to that side, and so as to hold the terminal 12 locked away from the terminal 13, even should the alarm mechanism of the clock rotate to the point where, otherwise, the same would operate to close the circuit as described.

This locking means is desirable, as otherwise the mechanism would operate at say 6 oclock in the morning, as well as at 6 oclock in the evening, or would repeat at any other set hour. This locking means is thus a substitute for, and takes the place of, the ordinary safety or stop elements 20 of the common alarm clock, so that in adapting such clock to the use herein contemplated,'the elements 20 may be omitted.

In operation, the clock mechanism is set in usual manner, to any desired hour at which the lights are to come on. At that hour the mechanism operates, causing the arm 11 to swing inwardly, thus closing the terminal 12 against the terminal 13, and so closing the circuit through the lights. Then, by moving the finger piece 19 of the lever 14 over to the left, the terminal 12 is forced away again from the terminal 13, thus opening the circuit and extinguishing the lights. The same operation resets the apparatus so that the lights will again come on at the same hour, twelve hours hence. As that would ordinarily be undesirable, and the lights would not again be required for twenty four hours, the finger piece 19 may be locked within the slot extension 18, thus locking the terminal 12 away from the terminal 13, until the finger piece is released and the set hour again recurs.

While I have herein described a certain specific method of constructing and assembling the elements of my invention, it is understood same may be varied in minor details, not departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the appended claim.

What I claim to be new and patentable is:

An automatic switch for automobile lights comprising an alarm clock mechanism mounted upon the dash of the automobile; a fixed insulated electrical terminal for one of the conductors, mounted upon the back of the clock adjacent the winding stem of the alarm mechanism; an arm rigidly mounted upon the winding stem of the alarm mechanism, and extended adjacent and adapted to turn toward said fixed terminal as the winding stem turns under the operation of the alarm mechanism; slots formed through the. fr'ont and back of the clock to accommodate an operating lever, the frontal slot having a sidewise extension; and an operating lever extended through the slots in the front and back of the clock, and pivotally mounted, the inner end of the lever forming a lug adapted to impinge the said arm for forcing back the shifting terminal and the outer end forming a finger piece adapted to lock into the sidewise extension of the frontal slot, to lock the ap paratus in inoperative position.

WILLIAM T. WALKER. Witnesses:

A. K. Down, A. M. Down. 

